A small collection of Namco classics are available on PlayStation Network in Japan. Namco Museum.comm includes Pac-Man, Galaga, Xevious, Dig Dug, and Dragon Spirit. Each game has online leaderboards and unlockable Playstation Home reward items to collect.

While the video game market shrinks in Japan many Japanese publishers are looking at expanding in the West. I spoke with two producers from Namco Bandai Games America about the paradigm shift and what kinds of franchises they have access to.

8-bit recreations are always neat to see and while some sites are buzzing about Guitar Hero recreated for the NES we’re going to take a look at a “Famicom” (note the quotes) version of Pac-Man Championship Edition.
 
Give it a quick glance and the video looks like bread and butter Pac-Man. However, this clip includes the [...]

I think it’s pretty clear that no matter what country I’m in, I love riding the subway. Korea doesn’t have as many video game related billboards as Japan. Actually, I haven’t seen any! But, this advertisement for a beauty enhancing product has a familiar face. Anyone recognize it? 

Like Sonic, Pac-Man is everywhere and Namco Bandai isn’t afraid to capitalize on his popularity. Pac-Man haphazardly makes a cameo in Mario Kart Arcade 2, the yellow pie chart has the awkward 3D Pac-Man World series. and Namco Bandai and put Pac-Man’s face on a Pac-Slot machine too. Similar to a real slot machine [...]

The title alone makes this rom hack worth mentioning, but there is more to Mr. Pac-Man besides a clever name. The repurposed release of Mrs. Pac-Man has new maps to check out and a new ghost. Granted it’s not nearly as lavish as Pac-Man: Championship Edition, but the NES never had widescreen support or [...]

When Pac-Man Championship Edition was announced earlier this week for the Xbox Live Arcade I was less than impressed. I think I uttered an audible "meh." Then I saw it in action and had a bit of a change of heart. You see Pac-Man has a special place in my heart, and upon hearing that [...]

 
Microsoft announced they are going to release a remix of Pac-Man as this week’s Xbox Live Arcade title. The graphics have been upgraded to and there are new widescreen mazes. There are also six timed modes that were introduced for the Pac-Man World Championship earlier today. These are:
 
The Championship Mode. This is the main game [...]

 
Namco Bandai keeps digging in their arcade catalog to see how they can repurpose their hits. After getting the Wii-make treatment Pac-Man and Galaga are getting mashed with tennis in Smash Court Tennis 3. In Pac-Man tennis players hit the iconic Pac-Man instead of a ball and the ground is replaced from a scene from [...]

Something that you might have missed on the Xbox Live Video Marketplace section is a free download of the first episode of the 1982 Pac-Man cartoon. You can find the download under the Warner Brothers Network or check the top downloads this week, “Picnic in Paclan” should be somewhere in the top five. Fun factoids [...]